The Butterflies Hypothesis
by lankyphysicist
Summary: Sheldon and Amy's daughter Mia finds herself dealing with her very first crush when Leonard's nephew Luke comes to town. Will they even get past the initial stuttering? Or could there actually be something there? / 15 chapters
1. Nice to Meet You

"Hi. I'm Luke."

Mia was not previously afflicted with any respiratory problems, but she could have sworn her lungs just collapsed. Her family did not have a history of cardiovascular problems, but nevertheless, she felt like her heart had dropped into her stomach, grew a pair of legs, and kicked her.

Before she even knew what she was doing, she was talking. When had she grabbed that Darth Vader mask? When did she put it over her face? At what point, exactly, did she decide it would be a good idea to say "Luke, I am your father"?

He was laughing at her. Oh, melodious sound. She'd make a fool out of herself _whenever_ just so she could hear that sound again. But not right now. She hung the mask back on the wall and finally possessed the sanity to return his handshake. "Not really, though. I'm Mia. Cooper. Mia Cooper. But you didn't tell me your last name, so that was... unnecessary," she rambled, casting her eyes toward the floor.

Oh God, he was laughing again. "Luke Hofstadter," he said, releasing her hand.

It was then that Mia realized he really wasn't going to run away from her. She raised her eyes and took in all his features at once. Rich brown eyes, squinty but wide. A lopsided smile. Light, olive-toned skin with a thick mop of dark curls. Hofstadter indeed.

"You most certainly are," she whispered, counting the freckles splattered across his cheeks.

He crinkled his nose. "I'm sorry?"

"Oh!" Mia exclaimed, realizing just how creepy she sounded. "It's just that, uh, um. Y-you're here to see, uh... Leonard Hofstadter, right?" she stammered, filing the comic books on the wall. "He told me about a nephew named Luke."

"Huh," he grunted, shoving his hands in his pockets. "I guess I'm not surprised that Uncle Leonard is so familiar with the workers here."

Mia's face contorted in confusion before she noticed him staring at the stack of brand new Green Lantern figurines in her arms. "Oh, I don't work here! No, no, I'm just helping out Stuart, he owns this place."

Luke twiddled his thumbs. "Then how do you know-"

"Leonard is my uncle. But not like he's _your_ uncle, we're not second cousins or anything like that, he's just my dad's best friend and... yeah. His name is Sheldon Cooper. I don't know if you've ever heard of him. But then again, why would you know who your uncle's best friend is?" she rambled, words just spewing from her mouth. Word vomit.

Luke smiled at her. "I do, actually. My grandma talks about him all the time."

Mia could feel her face heating up and she hoped to God she didn't look like a tomato. Then she said the smartest thing she'd said all night. "That's nice," she squeaked as she tried to put a doll on a shelf just out of reach.

"Oh, let me help you with that," Luke offered, snatching the toy and setting it down with ease.

He took another one out of her arms while Mia just stood and admired his tanned limbs. She _severely_ paled in comparison. "So what brings you to Pasadena?" she slurred as his hand brushed hers.

"Oh, well I'm starting at UCLA in a few days and I figured I'd drop in and see Uncle Leonard and Aunt Penny," he answered.

"No way!" Mia burst before collecting herself and silently cursing her mouth that had seemed to be making its own decisions tonight. "I'm starting at UCLA, too. It's actually not that big of a deal. I mean, it's a big school. I'm gonna shut up now."

Luke laughed and Mia's heart kicked her in the stomach again. "It's fine, I like talking to you," he said quietly.

Mia blushed and was partially thankful when Stuart broke the silence. "All right, Mia, we're the only ones here, you can g- oh, I'm sorry, sir," he called, stopping short when he caught sight of Luke.

The young girl quickly butt in. "Oh, Stuart, this is Luke, Uncle Leonard's nephew," said Mia, wiping her sweaty palms on her thighs.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Luke. You're very tall," Stuart commented, not seeing a strong Hofstadter family resemblance.

Luke cocked his head. "Thank you?" he questioned, feeling all of a sudden self-conscious.

After a moment of awkward silence, Mia clapped her hands. "Well, if you're gonna close up, I'm just gonna..." she trailed off, pointing to the exit.

When she was halfway to the door, she heard Luke follow after her. "Wait! I'll walk you to your car."

"Of course you will," she squeaked to herself, wishing her brain would come back from vacation.

As the cool night breeze hit her, she wrapped her army jacket tighter around her torso. She didn't know why she was acting like such an _idiot._ This was worse than when she almost fainted on stage before delivering her valedictorian speech.

"Th-this is me," Mia stuttered. "Well, this isn't literally _me_ , ya know, i-it's my, uh... vehicle," she said, pointing to her car. "I guess I'll see you at the apartment building?"

"Yeah! Yeah," he returned, running a hand through his thick hair. "2311 Los Robles?"

"Yeah! Yeah," she obliviously echoed, opening her door. "Bye, then." She heard him call out a goodbye as she slammed her door. As soon as he was out of sight, she banged her head on the steering wheel. "Oh my God, _vehicle_?"

With one last sigh of embarrassment, she put the car in drive and headed towards the apartment complex. She took the next ten minutes to evaluate her situation. So Uncle Leonard's nephew was in town. His name was Luke. He was attending UCLA. Was that really all she knew about him? Oh, calm down, he was a Hofstadter, he couldn't be _that_ mysterious. Okay, further evaluation. She needed a cardiologist immediately. And was there a doctor that specialized in overactive sweat glands?

Mia spent the rest of the ride absentmindedly humming the Battle Hymn of the Republic. She was thankful when she pulled into her parking spot and no one appeared to be pulling in with her. She was less thankful when she found him on the second floor, about to knock on 2B.

"Wait!" she yelled, wishing she had just gone on without him. "Leonard and Penny are on the fourth floor," she warned. She felt awkward calling them 'aunt' and 'uncle' when they were _his_ actual aunt and uncle.

"Oh. Thanks," he said, retreating his hand from the knocking position.

"No problem," Mia smiled, tucking a strand of pin-straight brown hair behind her ear.

She began her trek up the stairs with this perfect stranger by her side. Please let him say something. Please let him say something. Please let him say someth-

"So I've never actually met Aunt Penny."

Oh thank God. "Really?"

"Yeah. I mean, I've only met Uncle Leonard like four times, but I've met Aunt Penny... four times less," he joked, rubbing his hand over the back of his neck.

Mia giggled and instantly regretted it. "Well, she's great. I'm positive you'll love her. Everybody does."

"Well, that's great to hear," he replied with a twang of what could only be described as... chipperness. "Then I'll know _two_ great ladies in Pasadena."

"Oh, who else did you meet?" Mia asked as they made it to the third floor.

He laughed and smiled down at her. "You, Mia."

Mia was more shocked that he remembered her name than she was that he considered her a great lady. "Oh."

The uncomfortable silence returned as they made it up the last flight of stairs. Mia was suddenly overcome with the urge to rip her eyes out, and not just because her contacts were dry and itchy. He'd just complimented her and all she could think to say was "oh."

"Well, this is our stop," she chirped with all the confidence she could muster. And it wasn't a whole lot.

"Thanks," he countered, knocking on 4B.

Mia grinned despite herself and patted the front pockets of her jeans for her key. And then the back pockets. And then her jacket pockets. No key. She checked the clock on her phone and concluded there was no way either of her parents would be awake.

"Hey, Luke, how ya been?" she heard from behind her.

She turned to see her Uncle Leonard wrapping his arms around his actual nephew. Luke really was quite tall.

"I'm great, Uncle Leonard," he replied, patting him on the back.

Mia really did enjoy a nice family moment every now and then, but she also needed to get into her apartment. She cautiously approached the two men across the hall. "Hey, sorry to interrupt, but can I borrow your key to my door?"

Leonard suddenly noticed Mia standing there and smiled. "Oh, yeah," she shorter man replied, reaching into the bowl by the door. "Here you go."

"Thanks," Mia nodded, turning back to her apartment.

"Oh, Mia!" Leonard called after her. She turned around once more, biting down on her tongue. "This is my nephew Luke. Luke, this is my friend Sheldon's daughter Mia."

"Uh, actually, we met at the comic book store," Luke interjected.

Leonard widened his eyes in realization. "Oh yeah, I forgot you were helping out down there, Mia."

"Yeah..." she awkwardly added, rubbing her arm and wishing she'd just remembered her own key.

"Well if I'd remembered, I would have made sure this one had offered you some assistance," continued Leonard.

"Oh he did!" Mia gushed, mentally kicking herself in the shins. "I mean, he was of... g-great service to me," she stammered.

Leonard looked at the tall girl strangely, and rightfully so. "Okay, well... Goodnight, Mia."

Mia immediately took advantage of the opportunity and raced to unlock the door, just barely catching the "goodnight, Mia" echoed by Luke as the door shut behind her. She leaned her back against the wall and dropped her keys in the bowl.

"Hoo."

* * *

 **Next Chapter: Thai Food Night**

 _ **Please**_ **review. It makes me so happy.**


	2. Thai Food Night

**A/N: I know that UCLA does not offer an early childhood development program. However, it's conducive to this story that the school be UCLA. Thank you for understanding.**

* * *

"Mia's in her room streaming a TV show if you want to join her," Sheldon Cooper encouraged as he welcomed his best friends and their nephew into his home.

The tall boy was about to chime in with his signature "uhh," but Penny - thankfully - came to his rescue. "Sheldon, sweetie, that's not a thing that's allowed to happen," she said as she sat on the arm of the chair.

"Oh," Sheldon gasped after the moment had already passed. "Well, I'll go get her then."

Luke sighed in relief as the scientist slipped into the hallway. His palms had been sweating almost profusely since _she_ slammed her door shut last night.

He jumped when he felt his uncle's hand pat him on the shoulder. "Sorry about that, buddy. His understanding is magnificent, but limited."

"It's fine," he chuckled, starting to feel the tiniest bit of comfort return to his system.

Noting that there were no seats left, save for a seemingly reserved couch cushion, he decided to take a seat on the floor. Doing his best not to directly stare at any one individual, he took into account all the people in the room. There was his Uncle Leonard and Aunt Penny sharing a chair and its arm, respectively. On the occupied end of the couch sat a man in a short-sleeved collar shirt with an argyle sweater vest. That must have been Raj. His skin was dark in contrast to his teeth, which were all smiles as he chatted with the woman beside him. That must have been Amy, and Luke immediately knew she was Mia's mother. Her eyes were the same shade of green and her chin came to that same point.

"So, Luke," Amy spoke, disrupting his evaluation. "Mia tells me you're UCLA-bound?"

His heart rate sped up at the thought of Mia talking about him. God, he didn't know a single thing about her, but he was so intrigued. Oh right, she asked a question. _Answer her, ballface._ "Yes, ma'am."

She smiled down at him. It was the same smile that Mia had given him last night. _Oh come on, ballface, it's not like you've never seen a pretty girl smile before._

"So what are you studying?" Penny inquired, taking a bite of her food as she talked. He secretly hated it.

"Early childhood development," he sighed, expecting the worst. "I'd like to be involved in special education for kids with cognitive impairment."

He held his breath. He should have just lied and said podiatry or something. And then the most magnificent thing happened.

"That's great, dude!"

Luke's head shot up. "Seriously?" he asked, clawing at the floor beneath him. "You don't want to invalidate it from an evolutionary viewpoint?"

Penny rolled her eyes and glared at Leonard. "It's great that your mom is out there spreading joy in so many people's lives," she quipped.

Leonard smiled sheepishly at his nephew. "Sorry you didn't get a cookie-baking grandmother," he apologized. "But if it helps, we think it's cool what you're doing."

Luke felt like his teeth were going to break from smiling so much, but he just couldn't stop. "No one's ever really said that to me before."

His smile faded as he felt four pairs of eyes looking down on him with pity.

Amy was the first to try to lighten the mood. "So what got you interested in special education?"

Luke was happy to take the bait. "Well, I've always known that I wanted to teach, but I have this strange level of patience for special needs kids," he rambled, becoming lost in his thoughts. "This obviously isn't true for all kids because everybody's different, but from what I've seen, these kids feel all of their emotions like... ten times stronger than people who are considered 'normal'."

Luke was so far gone he didn't even notice Sheldon return. He didn't even notice that Mia was sitting next to him on the floor. No one had _ever_ asked him about his interest in special education. And he wasn't done yet. "So when they're sad, they're extremely sad, but when they're happy... it just radiates off of them, you know?" He was practically jumping. "And they're so happy when they learn, so I wanna be the one to teach them."

He didn't notice he was breathing so heavily until he caught not four, but five people now staring back at him, slack-jawed and wide-eyed. Sheldon was just staring at him with curiosity at most, perplexed by the newcomer who'd temporarily altered the paradigm of Thai food night.

"Oh my God, that was the cutest thing I've ever seen," Penny whispered. "Leonard, make him do it again."

Luke could feel every part of his body heating up. Even his calves were a bright cherry red. God, he needed a distraction. "So what are you studying, Mia?"

Sheldon answered for her. "Mia will be majoring in biophysics," he answered gleefully, picking at his food.

Well, of course she was a scientist. He had heard so much about Sheldon's work in theoretical physics and Amy's work in neurobiology. It was incredible that one family could have so much intelligence. Luke turned to Mia to ask her a question about the field, but caught her furrowing her brow at Leonard. Luke kept silent as he watched his uncle's eyes pop out of his head while the young girl mouthed back something that appeared to be "not now."

Luke was all too familiar with that exchange.

Mia was most certainly _not_ studying biophysics.

The conversation around him slowly turned to talk of the apparently missing Howard and Bernadette. Luke watched inquisitively as Mia silently excused herself to the kitchen. He had to talk to that girl more, he just had to. After thirty seconds, he wordlessly followed her into the secluded area.

"You're not studying biophysics," he said, placing both of his hands on the wooden counter top.

She didn't even look up at him as she poured water from a pitcher into a crystal glass. "Keep your voice down," she said nonchalantly. "He has Vulcan hearing."

He leaned in closer. "Who?" he whispered.

"Take a look around you," she replied, returning the pitcher to the refrigerator.

He raised his head and immediately locked eyes with one Dr. Sheldon Cooper. He was staring at them from across the room. Well, he was staring at Luke. But whatever the case, he was definitely looking their way.

"That's... um..." he started.

"Yeah," she finished, lightly squeezing his forearm and returning to the living room.

Luke stood frozen to his spot as electricity bolted through the entire area where she touched him. All his life, Luke had been told that he was an open book. But Mia just didn't seem like she wanted to read him. So now, not only was she a mystery to _him._ For the first time in his life, he felt like _he_ was a mystery to someone else. And he wanted to know more about this girl. And he wanted to tell her about himself all the same.

He returned to the living room to see her sitting on the arm of the couch by her dad. Luke sat back down on the floor and wished that she would look his way.

"So, Luke?" Raj asked as the young boy made himself comfortable. "You're much taller than your uncle."

Luke smiled. "Yeah, I've gotten that a lot lately."

Leonard huffed in annoyance. "His dad is eight inches taller than me!"

Penny leaned into him and wrapped his arm around his shoulders. "Oh, honey, eight inches is not all it's cracked up to be."

Luke desperately wanted to laugh, but stifled it when he caught Sheldon shooting daggers at the blonde. "Well in Uncle Leonard's defense, my mom is pretty tall, too."

"Mia's height is all from her father," Amy said, adjusting the glasses on her face. "If I didn't push her out of me, I would honestly think she was a clone he created in a lab."

"What can I say?" Mia retorted, flipping her long chestnut hair over her shoulder. "These limbs were made for ballin'."

Leonard snorted. "Is that what they call being president of the national honor society these days?"

"Oh shut up!" Mia shouted through her laughter, almost falling off the arm of the couch.

Luke was absolutely awestruck by this group of people. He watched Sheldon wrap his arms around his daughter's waist to keep her from falling and realized he couldn't remember the last time his dad showed any affection towards him. He watched his uncle kiss his aunt on the cheek and thought back to the time where he told his girlfriend of five years that he loved her, and she dumped him right on the spot. He watched Raj whisper something in Amy's hear and he watched her laugh in response. They were _all_ laughing. And they all... _cared_ about each other.

Why weren't there any Thai food nights in New Jersey?

His chest tightened. Was this what he'd been missing out on for eighteen years? Was this how real families acted? Was this how real _friends_ acted? He needed air. Taking one last look around, he slipped out of 4A and into the hallway. He leaned his back against the wall and ran a hand through his hair. _Get it together, ballface. You're a grown man._

"Are you okay?"

Luke snapped back to reality when he heard her voice. When had she entered the hallway? She was like a cat. A lanky, mysterious cat. "Yeah! Yeah, I'm fine."

She nodded her head as a smile slowly spread across her face. "Good." He gulped as she leaned in closer to him. "History," she whispered in his ear.

"W-what's history?" he stuttered as she pulled away.

"My major," she replied.

Luke couldn't stop himself from grinning like the Cheshire cat. He had uncovered the first mystery of Mia Cooper. He felt the blood rush to his head as she let out one of those wonderful giggles like she did on the stairwell last night.

"Do you wanna come back in?" she asked, pointing to the door. "We always play Jenga on Thai food night... But of course it's a _severely_ outdated game and you don't have to join us if you don't want to," pulling at the hem of her pale yellow sweatshirt jacket.

Luke wanted to say yes, he really did. He _desperately_ did. But he also felt like he was going to throw up. "Oh, I'd love to, but... but I think I'm just gonna... um. I'm just gonna lie down early."

Mia looked down at her sock-clad feet and played with her ear. "All right, well. Goodnight, then," she said, turning to the door.

 _Come on. Step up, ballface._ "Wait. Mia?" He felt like he got the wind kicked out of him when her forest green eyes met his again. "Um. C-could I maybe text you later?"

She flashed all her teeth in a brilliant smile and all his anxiety melted away. She reached into her pocket, closed the distance between them, and pressed a small slip of paper into his palm.

"It's a receipt," she explained. "My number's on it."

And then she was gone. All right. Time to evaluate the situation. He knew three more things about Mia Cooper than he did last night. She liked history. She purchased a throw blanket from Target on January 4, 2014. And her phone number was his new favorite number.

* * *

 **Please, please review.**

 **Next chapter: Texting**


	3. Texting

Mia had a tradition. Every day, at 9:45 PM, she would S.C.R.U.B. What started out as a healthy nightly routine quickly spiraled into a compulsive nightly obsession. She would stand in front of the bathroom mirror and **s** crape off the **c** rap and **r** efute any **u** gliness in her **b** rain. Maybe it was just her screwed up way of meditating.

She would start with a shower. Fifteen minutes. No more, no less. She would shampoo her hair with a quarter-sized amount of banana shampoo. She would scrub until she could hear her hair squeaking. And then she would rinse and repeat because that's what the bottle told her to do. And then she would do it again because the bottle never said when to stop and good things came in threes. Then she would scrub every inch of her body with a washcloth saturated with coconut body wash. And then she would do it again. And then one more time for good measure.

Next in line was dental hygiene. It didn't matter what kind of toothpaste she was using as long as it burned. That's how she knew it was working. She would run the toothbrush bristles in every single direction imaginable until she was positive not a single millimeter of plaque remained. Then she'd spit. And then she'd do it again. And again.

And then she would wash her face. She would wash her face the same way she mixed cake batter: thoroughly so as to avoid any diseases, and probably while enhancing her upper arm muscles.

Refuting the ugliness was the difficult part. Mia's brain was different. She'd known it since she was little. She just... didn't forget anything. Well, that's not true. She forgot important things. She'd forget her name when a potential employer asked her what her strengths were. She would forget how to breathe when she met anyone who was over six feet tall. But she never forgot any of her mistakes. No, she remembered every stutter, every trip, every awkward pause, every mispronunciation, _everything_. She remembered waving back to someone who actually wasn't waving at her when she was five. She dubbed this 'the ugliness'. And in keeping with the spirit of acronyms, she had to refute it.

"Mia Cooper," she said to the mirror for the thousandth time. "Nobody remembers it but you. So maybe you accidentally squeezed his arm when you meant to grab your glass of water." She sighed, but refused to break eye contact with the mirror. "Maybe he didn't even notice it," she added, knowing that it wasn't true. "And maybe you almost fell off the arm of the couch and your dad had to catch you. That happens all the time. It's not a big deal just because it happened in front of a boy that you barely know. It's fine. It is... And maybe you went on about how severely outdated the game of Jenga is when nobody cared. It's fine. Nobody hates you. People love you. Do not let any of today's occurrences ruin your sweet dreams. Good night."

Even though she S.C.R.U.B-ed, she still felt antsy that night when she climbed into bed. It was like she was forgetting something, but for the life of her, she could not think of what it was. Well, obviously. If she could remember what she was forgetting, then she wouldn't be forgetting. After half an hour of fitfulness, she decided to get up and make herself some sleepy time tea.

"What are you doing up?"

Mia jumped out of her skin and fell off the ledge between the hallway and the living room.

"Oh God, Mia," the voice said again as he helped her to her feet. "Are you all right?"

Mia let out a sigh of relief when she discovered the voice belonged to her father. "Yeah, I'm fine," she answered and made her way to the kitchen. "What are _you_ doing up?"

"I wanted to finish my book," Sheldon replied, motioning to the couch where a book laid open. "But you didn't answer my question."

Mia put the kettle on and sat on a stool. "I couldn't sleep. Something feels off."

"Well I'm having trouble reading," Sheldon added. "Your phone keeps going off."

"Huh?" Mia asked.

"You left your phone on the coffee table," he answered nonchalantly.

A light bulb went off in her head. "That's it! That's what I was forgetting," she mumbled to herself and crossed the room.

Sure enough, one text from an unknown number: _mia?_

And that was all he wrote. And he wrote it half an hour ago. God, she could have been talking to him for half an hour.

She quickly typed out a response: _Luke?_

Sheldon chimed in as he watched his daughter fuss over her phone. "Do you have a pen pal in a foreign nation with a different time zone?"

Mia realized, once again, that she wasn't alone. "No. No, it's just a... a friend?"

Sheldon took a step towards her. "But you don't have any friends."

Mia sighed and slipped her phone into her robe pocket. She would have refuted him, but he wasn't necessarily wrong. "I think I do now."

The dad smiled and nodded his head. "Well, that is a very interesting development."

"I _know_ ," she commented, sitting down on the couch.

Sheldon wasted no time in sitting down next to her. "Well, who is it?"

Mia had a special relationship with her father. He understood her in a way that nobody else did. He knew her condition. She was cursed with... acquaintances. Never friends. People sat with her at lunch. People asked for her help with homework. People said nice things about her. But they never asked for her number. They never invited her to their houses. They never partnered with her on field trips. She was just... there.

She smiled at him. "Luke."

"Special Ed?"

Nope. She was not going to let him critique the first contact in her phone under the age of forty. "No, pretty sure his name is Luke," she replied coldly, returning to the kitchen to fix herself that tea.

Sheldon sighed and followed her. "You're right. My apologies. Congratulations."

Mia grinned again and fixed a mug for her father, as well. "Thank you," she said, rounding the corner and giving him a hug from the side. "Goodnight, dad."

"Goodnight," he responded, kissing her on the head.

As Mia walked back to her room, mug in hand, she felt her phone buzz again. It took everything in her not to spill her tea all over the comforter as she removed the device from her pocket.

 _Luke: oh thank god. for a second i thought you just gave me a fake number_

Mia smiled and pulled the white comforter up to her chin. She was having another fight with the heart in her stomach.

 _Mia: Don't be ridiculous. I would never lie to the kind people at Target._

She hit send before giving herself the proper time to evaluate. That came immediately after. Her heart was practically beating out of her chest as she waited for his response. What if he didn't understand? What if he'd completely forgotten that she'd given him that receipt? Oh God. What did she buy? Why didn't she think to look what she'd bought? What if it was a receipt for... oh God. When was the last time she bought tampons? Oh God, please let it be anything but tampons.

 _Luke: hahahahah_

For a brief moment, Mia debated whether or not she was cut out for the whole 'friendship' thing. She'd only sent him a total of two texts and she already didn't know how to respond.

And then something miraculous happened.

 _Luke: so tell me about this whole history deal_

Oh thank God. That was something she could reply to. _That_ was something she knew about. She decided to take it from the top.

 _Mia: How did you know I was lying about the biophysics thing?_

She'd been keeping the history secret for a year. As soon as she saw 'colleges and universities with impressive STEM programs' in her father's search history. A whole _year_ , she'd told her family that she would be studying biophysics and they didn't seem to suspect a thing. But then Luke calls her out on it within a minute of finding out.

 _Luke: i saw you and uncle leonard doing that whole glare exchange at dinner. i did that with my brother all the time before i left_

 _Mia: I only told him because I thought he could just tell my mom and dad for me. It came back to bite me, though, because he refused and now he looks at me like that every time someone brings up the topic._

 _Luke: at least he's keeping your secret though_

 _Mia: Yeah..._

Mia felt bad giving him a one-word response, but she felt so uncomfortable with the conversation. She didn't like throwing Leonard under the bus and she didn't like thinking about how she was lying to her parents.

 _Luke: i'm positive your parents would love you no matter what you studied_

That was enough of that.

 _Mia: So did you leave on good terms with your family?_

 _Luke: uhhhh... not really. i don't think i'll be going back anytime soon anyway lol_

Mia sighed. Her father always called her out when she tried to mask her disappointment with humor. And that 'lol' wasn't fooling her. She let it slide.

 _Mia: So tell me more about this special education thing. I only made it to the end half of your speech earlier._

 _Luke: it was hardly a speech haha. i just got excited. what do you want to know?_

 _Mia: Everything. Take it from the top._

 _Luke: when i was little, i wasn't really great at talking to people. and so by the time i was like twelve i convinced myself that i didn't have a soul or something stupid like that. i started being really dismissive and rude and impatient... the dean of students at my school made me take a 'special friend' at the community center. (btw: special friend is community center speak for 'kid with down syndrome'). his name was john and he was so... good. and every time i spent time with him i wanted to be good too. i became more patient with everybody. and i knew that i wanted to work with kids like john for my career. my parents and especially my grandma are very survival-of-the-fittest type people and they thought i was crazy_

Mia was completely enthralled by this boy.

 _Mia: I'm really sorry to hear that._

 _Luke: it's fine. you wanna hear the craziest part?_

 _Mia: What?_

 _Luke: guess what i told them i was majoring in_

 _Mia: Tell me._

 _Luke: history_

Mia had never typed the letters 'lol' in her entire life and she wasn't about to start now, but she really did let out a small chuckle. Before she had the chance to respond, he had texted her again.

 _Luke: oh god, i didn't know it was so late already. i'm sorry for keeping you from sleep_

 _Mia: I'm not tired at all._

Did that sound needy?

 _Luke: me neither_

That was all the encouragement she needed. She wanted to keep talking to him. Furthermore, she wanted to laugh at loud with him.

 _Mia: Has anyone showed you this apartment building's roof yet?_

* * *

 **Thank you for your reviews in advance.**

 **Next chapter: The Roof**


	4. The Roof

Luke was far from tired. In fact, this was the most awake he'd been in months. Even when this girl was out of sight, she was most certainly not out of mind. Her texts made her seem eloquent, but all the times she stuttered were still ringing in his head. He wanted to hear that breathy giggle out loud.

And so his feet led him out the door and into the hallway. He hadn't given any thought to his red plaid pajama pants and black old man slippers. He was off that couch and out the door in approximately two seconds. A couple minutes later, he was joined by the mystery herself dressed in leggings and a Superman shirt. Her long hair was pulled into a ponytail at the top of her head, and she had pillow marks on the left side of her face.

She was still pretty.

"Come on!" she whisper-shouted and grabbed onto his wrist.

Luke felt his breath catch at the sudden contact, but let her pull him towards the stairs anyway. He didn't know that he wanted her to keep holding on until she let go when they reached the next flight.

"Do you do this often?" he panted as they raced up staircase after staircase.

She didn't seem to be winded at all. "Only on the starriest nights," she said with a toothy grin.

He found himself smiling in return as she led him onto a terrace, and then to the highest level of the building: the roof.

Her flushed pink cheeks and sparkling eyes put all the stars to shame.

"It's a new moon tonight," she said, her head crooked back to look at the vast unknown. "My Uncle Raj used to hook up his telescope here for every new moon when I was little."

He took a seat in an abandoned lawn chair and followed her gaze."Why did he stop?"

She looked down at him from where she was standing and patted her hands on the sides of her legs. "He just got old. Started going to bed at like 7:45 to get his beauty sleep," she laughed, assuming the lawn chair next to him. "But the naked eye is good enough."

The silence was comfortable, but Luke was not. "Doesn't your neck get sore from stargazing all night?"

She looked to him with a coy smile. "I've got just the thing you need," she said and reached under her chair. After a bit of tugging, she procured a blanket. "God, my dad hates this thing," she commented as she laid it out over an empty space. "He makes me wash it after every single use."

After laying it flat, she sat on one side and patted the other as an invitation. Luke smiled and laid back, but Mia stayed upright, entranced by an object 235,000 miles away.

Luke had to admit that her fixation was justified. The night sky was beautiful, even in spite of the light pollution from the street below. But in any case, he was more fascinated with the girl next to him. She was hugging her knees to her chest and gently breathing in and out and in and out.

He would have been content just lying there, but he so desperately wanted to speak to her. It was making him fidgety. "So you never told me what got you into history."

She wordlessly shifted from her upright position to lay down next to him, and he could sense her stable breathing become slightly more choppy. "It's not a story like yours," she said, playing with the hem of her shirt.

He laughed. "Well it'd be pretty boring if we all had the same story, don't you think?"

"I guess," she said as she angled her head towards his. "But I genuinely believe you're gonna be disappointed with the severe lack of excitement."

Luke felt his heart beat faster with every word she said. Especially the ones that had more than three syllables. "Try me."

She made a noise that was something between a snort and a chuckle. "All right," she said, returning her attention to the sky. "I guess it started when I learned the names of the presidents when I was like four. My grandma bought me flashcards with their faces on the back. Ronald Reagan was her favorite," she laughed, reminiscing.

She said he wouldn't be interested. He would be interested if she talked about Swiss cheese for three hours.

"Who's your favorite?" he asked.

After a moment of thought, she finally answered. "John Adams. But only because he defended the British guards from the Boston massacre in court even though they had killed colonists. He cared so much about the civil liberties he wanted in the declaration."

Luke wanted to laugh, but not for any reason other than the fact that she sounded like a little kid.

"Sorry," she added, twiddling her thumbs in her lap. "That was way more than you asked for. John Adams. Final answer."

This time Luke really did laugh. "It was a great answer, Mia," he assured her, adjusting his arms so they were behind his head. "So what happened after the flash cards?"

She seemed to relax as the gears in her head turned. "That was when Aunt Penny was taking night classes at the community college. I borrowed one of her history textbooks to learn more about a president, I don't remember which one." She laughed at the memory. "I read the entire stupid book," she said. "It was riddled with propaganda. And I believed every single word of it. I still remember my mom sitting me down and explaining the concept of political bias."

She angled her head towards his again. "Again, probably more than you wanted, but... Yeah. I don't know. It just feels like time travel to me. And if there's anything I like, it's time travel."

Luke laughed and looked into her eyes. They were so close. As she breathed out, he would breathe in, and everything felt very real. He felt too terrified to speak and he hated himself for it, because that's what he'd come up there to do. He returned his eyes to the sky above and she followed suit. He immediately felt better about the whole breathing thing. "So tell me more about the mysterious Mia Cooper."

"Well for starters that's the first and probably the last time anyone has called me that," she said, bending her legs at the knees.

Luke took note of the shadow it cast against the blanket and came to the conclusion that even her absence was art. "Well then you're hanging out with the wrong people."

Her breath hitched as she stuttered. "W-Well, what did you, um... want to know?"

"Hmm," Luke responded, wondering which question to ask first. "What's your middle name?"

"Adeline."

"Namesake?" he rebutted.

"My dad's grandma. Meemaw. She passed away before I was born."

Luke's body stiffened, the same way it always did when someone brought up the topic of death. "I'm sorry to hear that."

"It's fine," she whispered as a breeze lifted up a few loose strands of hair from her face.

He returned to his impromptu game of twenty questions. "Favorite holiday?"

"Thanksgiving," she said without even a moment of thought.

He shot his eyes in her direction, but kept his head still. "And why is that?"

She tucked some loose strands behind her ear. "Because it smells different than all the other holidays."

Luke smiled and rolled onto his stomach. "I guess I've never thought of it like that."

"Well, what's your favorite holiday?" she prompted.

"Christmas," he answered. "And I think Christmas has its own distinct smell, as well."

"If you say so," she sang.

Luke rolled himself over and sat up on the blanket, looking down at her. "And what's that supposed to mean?" he asked in mock hurt, his hand over his heart.

She smiled up at him. "You heard me."

He ran a hand through his hair. "Explain yourself."

"Christmas smells synthetic like every other holiday. Wrapping paper smells like Easter basket grass smells like store-bought Halloween costumes smells like little Valentine's day cards," she said, her eyelids starting to droop.

Luke wanted to fall back onto his back and fall asleep with her right there on the roof. But he stayed strong. "It sounds like you've put a lot of thought into this."

Mia shrugged her shoulders. "I've enjoyed a lot of thanksgivings."

He smirked and rested his head in his palm. "You think about a lot of things, don't you?"

She sighed and let her eyes close. She didn't answer the question.

"Do you want to go back downstairs?" he asked after a moment of silence.

"No," she replied. "I'm just resting my eyes. Keep going."

"All right," he obliged, racking his brain for another question. "Out of all the places you've traveled, what was your favorite?"

"Washington, D.C.," she answered, her lips twitching upward slightly on both sides.

He laughed. He wasn't quite sure what he was laughing at. He was just having a good time with this girl on the roof of a strange building in the middle of the night. An absurd amount of fun, actually, considering it was literally just a concrete slab and a dirty blanket.

His thoughts were interrupted when he caught sight of the girl beside him shiver. At second glance, she was covered in goosebumps.

"Oh God, Mia, take this," he said, pulling his bright blue hooded sweatshirt over his head and handing it to her, leaving him in his white undershirt.

"No, I'm fine, thanks," she declined as she sat up.

"Mia, I'm cold just looking at you," he said, dropping the jacket in her lap. She still looked at him hesitantly. "Don't worry, I'll warm myself with manly thoughts," he joked.

She grinned and slipped the hoodie over her head, messing up her ponytail in doing so. She pulled at the garment and read the words written on the front. "Varsity basketball, huh?"

"Yeah," he answered bashfully, fixing his eyes on the blanket beneath him. "Ya know, before Uncle Leonard called you out, I thought you were serious about that basketball comment at dinner."

Mia giggled and stretched her long fingers to her toes.

Luke didn't realize until then that she was only wearing a pair of white socks on her feet. She didn't have on any shoes at dinner, either, now that he thought about it. "Do you even own any shoes?" he asked.

"Unfortunately, my family owns one pair of shoes," she joked. "Poverty is a very real thing in this country, Luke."

He loved the way she said his name. It sounded like a song, even when she said it with a Darth Vader mask over her face. He didn't think he'd ever forget that.

"So do you have any real aunts and uncles or are you just mooching off mine?" he asked, a million thoughts warping through his brain.

"As a matter of fact, I do," she said, pulling her legs into a comfortable sitting position. "My mom doesn't have any siblings, but my dad has an older brother named George and a twin sister named Missy."

"Twins, huh?" he queried, raising his eyebrows.

"Twins," she nodded in confirmation. "Uncle George has a son named Aaron. Aunt Missy has a son named Marcus. They all live in Texas, though."

"Really? Didn't have your dad pegged for a Texan," he commented.

"It's a big state," Mia replied, playing with her hands. "Got any more questions?"

He smiled. "Speed round."

"You got it."

"Favorite movie."

"Elf."

"That's a Christmas movie."

"It doesn't have a smell."

"Favorite TV show."

"Modern Marvels."

"Of course it is."

"You look like you could use some educational programming in your life."

"Well that's what I have you for. Favorite book."

" _Matilda_ by Roald Dahl."

"I thought his name was Ronald."

"Well you thought wrong."

"If you could have a superpower, what would it be?"

"Flight."

"Elaborate."

"I hate to drive."

"Fair enough. Guilty pleasure?"

"National public radio."

"That _is_ embarrassing."

"Shut up."

"When's your birthday?"

She audibly gulped. "August twenty-second."

Luke wrinkled his nose and reached for the phone in his pocket. 12:20 AM. August twenty-second. He looked over at her in surprise. She seemed almost distraught.

"Seriously?" he asked with an incredulous smile.

She sighed and met his gaze. "Yes. Which reminds me, I will now only respond to the title 'Miss Legal Adult'," she joked.

"All right," he said simply. "How do you plan to celebrate?"

She did that snort/chuckle thing again. "This is probably the extent of the celebration right here."

Luke's eyes widened as he weighed the implication of her words. She didn't celebrate her birthday. Did she not have any friends to celebrate her birthday with?

"Well then we can do much better than this," he said as he stood.

"What do you mean?" she asked as he pulled her to her feet.

"Oh come _on_ , Mia!" he sighed, holding both of her hands in his. "Let's do something fun. You're eighteen!"

She scrunched up her face. "Yes, and a few minutes ago, I was - wait for it - seventeen!" she yelled with mock enthusiasm.

"Shut up," he retorted, but he was still grinning. "What do you want to do? Buy a lottery ticket? Buy a pack of cigarettes and throw it in the trash? Vote in a local election? You name it."

She laughed and took a step closer. Their palms were still pressed together and Luke silently hoped that she didn't notice just how clammy they were.

"Well, you do name some pretty tempting activities," she said and broke away from him. She picked up the dirty blanket from the ground and folded it with ease. "But I think I should get some sleep."

Luke smiled softly. He didn't want to leave, but he was getting pretty tired himself. "You're probably right."

The walk down the stairs was long, but it sure didn't feel that way. He felt cheated as he stood between apartments 4A and 4B, preparing to part ways from this mysterious girl.

"Oh, you probably want your sweatshirt back," she said, pulling at the hem.

He stopped her before she could get any further. "No, it's fine. I'll get it back from you later," he dismissed casually. He implied that he would take it back eventually, but in all honesty, he hoped he would see her in that sweatshirt again.

"Okay. Well… Goodnight, then."

Luke watched as Mia turned to her door, only to discover that she had locked herself out. She slowly turned back to face him with a look of helplessness. He crossed his arms over his chest and smiled, awaiting her request.

She sighed. "Come on, don't be a jerk."

"I'm sorry, what was that?" he taunted.

Her expression relaxed as she neared him. "Can you _please_ get me my spare key?"

"I'm so glad you asked," he said, opening the door to 4B and reaching into the bowl. He walked back towards her and she snatched the key from his hands.

"Thank you," she said as she unlocked the door.

"You're welcome," he replied. "Goodnight, Mia." He gathered all of his courage from throughout the night and gave her a gentle kiss on the cheek. "Happy birthday."

* * *

 **I guess I'll wait to publish the next chapter until I hit a certain amount of reviews, because the frequency with which I publish are actually getting out of hand.**

 **Next chapter: The Cheesecake Factory**


	5. The Cheesecake Factory

Mia stumbled out of her room at six in the morning, as per usual, complete with the usual grogginess and the general sense of uneasiness caused by the fact that this bizarre world actually existed. She wordlessly made her way into the living room and found her father already sitting in his spot. He didn't notice her presence until she sat down next to him and propped her feet on the coffee table.

"Ya know, we eat there," he observed without looking up from his iPad.

"It's a good thing I'm wearing socks, then," she replied.

"Yes, well," he said as he laid the tablet on the table. "You disgust me. Happy birthday."

"Aww," Mia cooed with a smile. "Thank you."

The pair sat in silence for ten minutes, staring intently at the early morning news.

As soon as the first commercial came on, Sheldon turned to Mia and said, "That's not your sweatshirt."

She tapped her finger to her nose. "You're a very smart man."

"I know," he replied. "But it doesn't take a genius to know you didn't make the varsity basketball team."

She rolled her eyes and nestled into the couch.

Sheldon continued. "Also, you smell like a combination of Old Spice and the zoo."

"You sure know how to make a girl feel pretty," Mia quipped.

"That's how I snagged your mother," he shot back instantly.

Mia laughed and pulled her legs underneath her. "It's Luke's."

Sheldon rolled his eyes and glared at her. "You might as well have just gotten a tramp stamp to commemorate the evening," he sneered and walked to the kitchen. "Also, you were not a legal adult when you snuck out last night and my birthday present to you is that you're not grounded."

Mia smirked and followed him across the room. "Well, first of all, _thank you._ You're so forgiving. And secondly, do you even know what a tramp stamp is?"

Sheldon poured himself a glass of orange juice and another one for Mia. "You know, I watch movies centered around poor decisions all the time. And you'll also be surprised to know that _I_ know that the whole lend-a-girl-a-sweatshirt thing is not a friend thing. It's a boyfriend thing. And it's a shame you'll have to break up with him when I just un-grounded you."

"Dad, it's a sweatshirt, not a ring. If Aunt Penny was cold, you would lend her a sweatshirt," she countered, sipping on the orange juice.

"Not the sweatshirt off of my _body_ ," he responded as he passed her a bowl of cereal. "And I don't own any sweatshirts, don't be ridiculous."

She grinned and dowsed her Coco Puffs in an excess of milk. "How'd you even know I snuck out last night?"

He looked down at her condescendingly. " _Mia._ "

She nodded her head and returned her attention to her cereal. "You're right, I'm sorry."

Sheldon huffed in approval and sat on the stool next to her. "In any case, Special Ed wants to be more than just your friend, and I forbid it."

Mia furrowed her brow and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "You really think so?"

Sheldon gasped and fumbled over his words. "Are- What- I- _Excuse_ me, are you even listening to me?"

"Yeah, yeah, you watch movies about tramp stamps and don't own any sweatshirts," she mumbled and spooned the cereal into her mouth.

Sheldon looked down at her and wrinkled his nose. "I'm appalled that the United States qualifies you as an adult. Now, before I forget," he began and crossed to the coffee table. He returned moments later with his iPad. "I would like you to sign here with your finger."

"No," she replied without looking up at him.

"Mia," he sighed and sat next to her. "This is just a basic contract stating that you will not let Special Ed defile you."

"I'm not signing it," she said finally and stood to put her bowl in the sink.

"So... What I'm getting out of this exchange is that you _want_ to be defiled," he concluded with a look of confusion.

"No, dad, I just want you to trust me when I say I have no interest in _letting_ him defile me," she retorted, standing on the opposite side of the bar.

After a moment of silence, Sheldon tried again. "So where exactly do we stand on this contra-"

"Put it away," Mia interjected before taking another sip of juice.

Sheldon's pouting was interrupted as Leonard entered the apartment.

Sheldon jumped to his feet. "Ah, just the intruder I was waiting for."

Leonard looked at him in confusion. "I drive you to work every morning."

"It's so delightful how you state the obvious, truly. Now, it has come to my attention that your nephew may be harboring romantic feelings towards my daughter and I'd like you to expel him," the tall man explained.

Mia crossed the room to meet the two physicists. "That's not true," she protested, crossing her arms over her chest.

Sheldon glanced from his daughter and then to his friend. "She's wearing his sweatshirt, Leonard."

"So?" he asked, in disbelief that he even had to partake in such a conversation. Mia didn't blame him.

" _So,_ he gave it to her while they were _stargazing,_ Leonard. Don't play dumb," he elaborated.

Mia wrinkled her nose in the same manner her father did just moments ago. "I never told you we were stargazing."

Sheldon threw up his hands in frustration. "Am I wearing a sign that says 'STUPID' today? Honestly."

Leonard sighed. "Sheldon, I am not getting involved in two kids' romantic affairs, now let's go."

"It's not a romantic aff-" Mia began before being cut off.

"W-W-wait, Mia's an adult now, you can be as involved as you want," Sheldon corrected.

Leonard shook his head in shock. "Happy birthday, Mia."

"Thanks," she said with a frustrated undertone.

Leonard turned his attention back to Sheldon. "I'm leaving now with or without you."

"All right, fine," he conceded, slinging his messenger bag across his torso. "But you really do smell like a zoo, I didn't make that up," he called before the door closed behind him.

Mia rolled her eyes and sat back down on the couch to finish watching the news. It was almost seven, which meant that her mom would be up and ready to go soon. She hoped to God that Amy didn't know about the whole sneaking out ordeal. Mia didn't believe that her mom would necessarily be _mad_ about it, it's just that she would tell Penny, and then Penny would ask Mia for all the details, and Mia really did _not_ feel like divulging. Or worse, if Penny knew, she might ask Luke about it, and the thought of Luke talking about her made her cringe in fear.

"Happy birthday, Mia," she heard from behind her.

She turned to see Amy entering the kitchen in her usual attire.

"Thanks, mom," she said as she joined her in the kitchen.

"So," Amy began, reaching into the fridge for an orange. "How was stargazing last night?"

Mia's heart began to race as she thought of the events that would now occur. "Oh my God, dad told you?"

Amy cocked her head to the side. "What are you talking about?"

"What?" she responded with a raised eyebrow.

"You always go stargazing when there's a new moon," the mom elaborated. "What's the matter with you?"

Mia shook her head. "Nothing."

Amy looked her daughter up and down before making a speculation. "You were with Luke, weren't you?"

Damn, she really had to take off the sweatshirt.

Amy laughed at Mia's speechlessness and pulled her to sit on the couch. "Tell me what your dad said."

Mia sat and stewed over everything her father had told her and summed it up to the best of her abilities. "I'm pretty sure he called me a tramp."

Amy shook her head and peeled a section from her orange. "I'm sure he didn't mean to."

"Mom, he already had a contract prepared for me to sign," she sighed.

"What time is it?" Amy asked suddenly.

"Like 7:15."

"Oh, I gotta go," she said as she stood up. "Goodbye, I love you, happy birthday, you're not a tramp."

Mia breathed a sigh of relief as she was finally left alone to overanalyze the events of last night and pinpoint all the things she did wrong. Well, first of all, she answered all those questions about herself and hardly asked any questions in return. That was just rude of her. Secondly... What was that kiss on the cheek? If her dad was right after all and Luke actually did 'harbor romantic feelings' for her, she would have to set him straight. She just wanted a friend, not a… a boyfriend.

She went to bed last night feeling both disoriented and oddly comfortable. She'd feel like she was about to pass out, but then she'd bury her nose in his sweatshirt and feel calm. It was dizzying and cliche and new and she didn't think about it last night, but now it caused her great stress. She accepted the sweatshirt because she was cold, not because she freaking _craved_ his _scent._

After careful consideration, Mia decided that she actually did smell like a zoo. She slipped off the sweatshirt and gently folded it. She placed it in the corner of her bedroom and proceeded to peel off the rest of last night's sweaty outfit. After a thorough S.C.R.U.B-ing, Mia was more than ready to start the day. The first day of being eighteen years old. The start of her nineteenth year on earth.

She decided to look nice. It was a shame that society still judged its own citizens based on their outward appearance, but it was fun to play along sometimes. She slipped on actual jeans instead of leggings and an actual flowing white blouse instead of a t-shirt and an actual comb through her hair instead of just pretending. It felt good.

She had planned to spend her birthday doing something productive, like finally sending thank yous for her graduation gifts, or finishing that overdue book she borrowed from the library three months ago, or beating her own record for the greatest amount of chocolate milk ever consumed in one sitting. But productivity did not strike her, and she decided it would be best to lie down on the floor and doze off during the entire first season of Star Trek.

Three hours later, Mia awoke to the sound of knocking. She groaned and clawed her way up the couch and onto her feet before opening the door. She inwardly sighed as she came face to face with the six-foot, basketball-playing, sweatshirt-lending, curly-headed object of anxiety himself.

Slipping her hands into her pockets and biting the inside of her cheek, she thought of all the ways to get him to just go away for a while. "Hi, Luke."

"Hey, Mia," he greeted with a smile.

Mia wanted to cry at how happy he appeared. She just wanted a friend so bad. What if she didn't make any in college? What if this was her only chance and she blew it?

When she didn't respond after ten seconds, he continued. "I just came by to see if you would want to grab lunch with me," he offered, tapping his foot. "Birthday treat?"

This was not happening. "L-listen, um. I don't think that's such a great idea."

Mia cringed as his visage fell to a frown. "Why?"

"I-I just… I just can't, all right?" she defended, hanging onto the door for support.

He looked down at her in confusion. "All right," he echoed as more of a question than a statement.

As he began to turn around and head back to 4B, Mia finally found the right words. "Luke, wait," she called. He faced her with a look of hope. "We're all having dinner at the Cheesecake Factory tonight. I hope you can join us."

Luke smiled. "I will."

Mia returned an identical grin. "Good."

* * *

"And now a toast to the birthday girl, the adult, Miss Mia Adeline Cooper."

Penny's words prompted the clinking of glasses and cheers around the table, earning glares from other Cheesecake Factory diners.

Penny smiled down at the young girl. "Mia, you are the strongest person I know for the sole reason of being able to grow up with a father like yours. Cheers."

Everyone laughed except for Sheldon, who huffed in annoyance. "By any means, I am far more superior than all of you as a paternal figure. I care more about Mia than I care about anyone else," he said before turning his head to Amy. "No offense."

Amy smirked and squeezed his knee under the table. "None taken. I feel the same way."

Howard chimed in from across the table. "I can't believe you're moving out tomorrow," he said in disbelief, picking at his meal.

"Well, maybe if you were around more often, you wouldn't be in such shock," Raj joked, earning a glare from Bernadette.

Mia shook her head at the scene. Her Uncle Howard and Aunt Bernadette had just adopted a baby from Russia. He was precious, really. He had blue eyes and freckles and red, curly hair. But he had successfully ripped away an aunt and uncle from Mia, and it was hard not to be resentful.

Howard slapped Raj on the arm and smiled. "I'm sorry that my helpless newborn son is getting in the way of Thai food Thursdays."

"Apology accepted," Sheldon interceded earnestly.

The entire table collectively rolled their eyes at the tall man's sarcasm impairment.

"So Mia, what are you studying?" Bernadette asked excitedly, cradling a baby in her arms.

"Biophysics," she answered without missing a beat.

She didn't look up from her cheesecake, but she could feel two distinct pairs of squinty Hofstadter eyes on her and one Sheldon Cooper grin.

"Well, that's fortunate," Howard responded.

Amy smiled at them from across the table. "It is," she conceded. "I wonder if that one will be a scientist like his parents," she remarked, motioning to the little boy.

"Oh, it doesn't matter," Bernadette cooed at her son. "We'd love Declan even if he chose to become a professional serial killer," she said, prompting laughter from everyone except for Mia.

She decided that she wouldn't tell her parents about her major until she was settled into her dorm for a few weeks. Then she'd visit her mom in the lab and tell her first. She didn't think it would ever be the right time, and she debated just waiting a couple years until she had all of her general education credits out of the way, but she couldn't wait that long. They deserved to know, even if it would break their hearts.

Mia's thoughts were interrupted by a slight tapping on her knee. She looked to her side to see Luke staring at her. "Are you alright?" he whispered while the adults continued to chatter.

She nodded her head and smiled weakly.

She didn't say anything for the rest of the meal unless she was asked something. When Penny called her out on it, she'd blamed it on the nerves. It was true, she supposed. She _was_ nervous about moving out of 4A and into a small cinder block cell that she'd have to share with a perfect stranger. But she was more worried about the fact that she was lying, and the fact that Luke kept looking at her.

 **A/N: I didn't proofread this. Perdóname.**

 **Review please!**

 **Next chapter: Move-In Day**

 **EDIT: It took 19 years for Howard and Bernadette to have a child because that's what I wanted. My friend's parents adopted her from Guatemala when they were nearing 60 because they knew it would be better to have a child when they were retired and had more time to spend with her. There ya go.**


End file.
